Cast Iron Motive (The Cast Iron Cooking Mysteries Book 4) (5 page)

Chapter 6: Annie (continued)

“I
don’t even know where to begin,” Aunt Della said in frustration after a few moments. “I can’t think of
any
reason anyone would want to kill me.”

“Don’t think of it that way,” I said.

“How else should she think of it?” Pat asked me. “Annie, we both know that we need a motive, unless you believe that these are just random acts of some deranged madman.”

“Does that mean that you believe me?” Aunt Della asked my brother.

“I’m working on the premise that everything you’ve told us is true,” Pat said without much inflection in his voice. It was far from an admission that he gave any credence at all to her stories, but evidently it was enough for her.

“I’m so relieved,” she said.

“Now think, Aunt Della,” I said. “Don’t worry about being outlandish or be concerned about besmirching someone else’s name. You’re among family right now, so we’ll hold whatever you tell us in full confidence.” I turned to look at my brother. “Right, Pat?”

“If we can do it without jeopardizing our investigation, I’ll be happy to agree to that,” he said.

“He’s right, Aunt Della. I’m afraid that’s the best we can promise,” I said, agreeing with my brother. It was a foolish time to make promises that we might not be able to keep. “Can you accept that?”

“Of course. I trust you both with my life. After all, I asked you here in the first place, didn’t I?”

I wasn’t sure why she was ready to put her faith in the two of us, since for all intents and purposes we’d just met. “Good. I know it’s going to be painful for you, but we’re asking you these questions for a reason. If we know who might want to wish you ill, then we can focus on a particular set of suspects instead of just going around town accusing everyone we happen to run into.”

“I can see your point there,” she said with a whisper of a smile.

Taking a deep breath and then letting it out slowly, she finally began to answer the most pressing question we’d posed for her so far. “First of all, I don’t know how you can live very long in this world without making enemies. Over the course of the past fifty-plus years, I’ve probably made more than my share. I’m a woman of strong opinions, and a great many folks don’t like that.”

“We’re not asking you for a general rendition of your past sins and shortcomings,” Pat said with a smile. “We need specifics, Della.”

“It’s hard to say. Maybe it’s a heart I’ve broken. That would include Cam and a few other men in town. None of them were happy when I dumped them, but I can’t see any of them wanting to see me dead. This is really difficult.”

“Okay, we’ll deal with your distant exes later. Is there anyone you’ve dumped recently?” I asked her.

“Annie, I’ve been good for quite a while. The last serious interest I sparked would have to be Davis, and I’m not at all sure how intent he was when he asked me out the last time.”

“What do you mean, the last time?” Pat asked.

“Davis has been after me for a date for six months, but I keep turning him down.”

“Why?” I asked. “He seems like a nice guy.”

“He is, but it’s not that easy. First of all, I’m not sure I want to date
anyone
right now, including him, but even if I did, I’d have second thoughts about trying to go through Serena Jefferson to get to him.”

“Who is Serena?” Pat asked her as he started taking notes on a piece of paper. It was a good idea, since I had a hunch we were going to need a scorecard before this investigation was over.

“She’s his secretary, and believe me, that woman believes she owns the mayor, and anyone else who even gets close to him is in for a hard time of it.”

“Have they ever dated?” I asked her.

“No, not that she doesn’t dream about it every night before she goes to sleep. She’s in love with him, that much is clear to anyone who’s ever been around the two of them together, but as a woman, Davis doesn’t even know that she exists.”

“Do you honestly believe that she might be trying to do away with you to clear the path for her own run at him?” I asked her.

“You should see the woman’s eyes. She’s a little crazy when it comes to her boss.”

“Could Davis be upset with your constant rejections?” Pat asked. Was he buying into her story or just being thorough? Aunt Della was an attractive woman, there was no doubt about that, but she certainly wasn’t one of the all-time great beauties of our century.

“I suppose it’s possible,” she said.

“I would think there was a case to be made for it. After all, he did buy the house right beside yours. That sounds a little obsessive to me.”

“It wasn’t like that,” Aunt Della explained. “The house came on the market suddenly, and the mayor has always wanted to live on the water. Him buying that house has nothing to do with me.”

“Can you be sure of that?” I asked her.

“I suppose anything’s possible,” Aunt Della answered. “So, that’s three people on our list already, if we include the police chief.”

“When we mentioned your name to him earlier, he seemed irritated with you more than anything else,” Pat answered.

“Well, the line between love and hate is a fine one indeed,” Aunt Della said.

“Has he asked you out recently?” I wanted to know.

“Yes, but it won’t happen again anytime soon. I crushed his hopes quite soundly the last time he asked me.”

“When was that?”

“As a matter of fact, it was right before the Winter Wonderland festivities all started,” she said, and then she frowned for a moment in thought afterward. “At first, I thought he was joking about asking me to the town supper where I ended up being poisoned, so I laughed it off. It wasn’t until later that I realized that he must have been serious. It’s no wonder the man’s not very happy with me at the moment.”

“Does that cover all of your recent romantic rejections?” Pat asked.

“I would think so,” she replied.

“Okay then, what other motives might someone have to want to see you dead?” he asked.

“It’s a disturbing thing to think about, isn’t it?”

“Aunt Della, it’s the only way we have to figure out what’s going on with you,” I said. “Think hard. Don’t hold anything back.”

“Well, there is one thing. I was in the dressing room at Starland’s last week—it’s a women’s clothing store here in town—and I overheard something troubling.”

“What did you hear?” I asked.

“Two women were discussing doing away with someone while I was changing,” she said. “It sounded as though they were trying to get rid of someone to me.”

“Do you have any idea who was talking?” Pat asked intently.

“No, I’m afraid not. You see, the zipper on the dress I was trying on was stuck, and it took me ten minutes to get it undone. By the time I got out of the dressing room, they were both gone.”

“Is there any chance they knew that you were there?” I asked her.

Aunt Della frowned. “Yes, I’m afraid so. Cindy Nance, the young lady who was working the sales floor that day, asked me if I needed any help right after I overheard them plotting. I’m afraid they knew I was there, all right.”

That could be trouble. If Aunt Della knew something, or if a pair of would-be killers even thought she knew their plans, it could spell trouble for her. “We need to talk to Cindy. Is there any chance you asked her who was there at the store when you were?”

“I didn’t want to bring any more attention to myself than I already had,” she admitted. “I’m afraid that zipper was broken beyond repair, and I wanted her to forget that I’d even been there trying anything on. It was poorly made, but I didn’t want to have to pay for shoddy material. Should I have told her about it?”

Pat rolled his eyes a little as I said, “I’m sure that it’s fine. You said that you’ve been involved with the Winter Wonderland festivities. Could you have slighted someone in your preparations for that?”

“Annie, I denied a few vendors booth space, but it would hardly be a motive for murder.”

“Okay then, did you have any arguments with anyone over the way you and Henrietta were running things?”

“Gary White,” she said gravely. “He was pretty upset with what we decided.”

“Tell us about it.”

“He wanted us to run the parade route past his hardware store, but we chose to go by the bank instead. There wouldn’t have been enough room for the floats to get through if we’d done what he wanted, but would he listen to reason? He would not. I’m afraid it got a bit ugly. He said that he’d rather see the entire festivities go up in flames than let it go on without him. My elimination would have surely accomplished that, wouldn’t it have?”

I made a mental note to speak with Gary White as I saw Pat jotting the name down on his paper. Great minds thought alike. “Is there anyone else?”

“No, not that I can think of. That’s surely enough, isn’t it?” She looked drained from the experience, something that I understood. After all, it couldn’t be easy trying to think of folks who might want to kill you.

“It will do for a start,” Pat said.

“Is that all, then?” she asked us.

“Sorry, but that just covers you,” my brother told her. “We need to talk about Cheryl Simmons now, if you’re up for it.”

“Why do we need to discuss poor Cheryl?” she asked, her voice starting to whine.

“Aunt Della, what if she weren’t killed by accident? If someone wanted her dead, shouldn’t we look into that as well?” I asked her.

“Can’t Cam do that? Surely he’s better equipped to investigate what happened to her than you two are. No offense.”

“None taken,” Pat said automatically. “So, if it’s really a case of mistaken identity, then her murder is pertinent to your case, but if she was killed for other reasons, then you’re fine with letting the police handle things.”

“You make it sound so cold and callous when you put it that way,” Aunt Della said.

“We’re just trying to make the best use of our time and resources,” I reassured her, even though I thought Pat’s summation of her beliefs was spot on. “We have only four days, you know.”

“Can’t you possibly stay longer?” she asked in a soft whimper.

“Sorry, but we’re stretching things as it is,” I replied. “If we can’t help over the course of the next few days, we’re most likely not going to be able to help at all.”

“Today counts as well, then?” she asked incredulously.

“I’m sorry, but it has to,” I said, and Pat nodded in silent agreement. I knew the odds were good that we wouldn’t be able to solve this, especially given such a limited amount of time, but we really had no choice. Leaving the Iron in other people’s hands, no matter how suited they may have been to act in our steads, was something that we were not willing to do any longer than was absolutely necessary, and the sooner Aunt Della accepted that fact, the better for all of us.

Chapter 7: Pat

I
t turned out that I had been right about the sleeping arrangements.

Aunt Della brought me sheets, a blanket, and a pillow. “I’m sorry about the couch, but I have only one guest room, and it’s pink. You don’t mind sleeping out here, do you?”

“No, I’m sure this will be fine,” I said as I took the bedding from her. Behind our aunt, I saw Annie stick her tongue out at me, and it took all I had not to laugh.

Della must have seen something though, and she misinterpreted the expression on my face. “Pat, I know how hard this is for you, and I want to thank you for coming. It’s clear that you’re not happy with me, and the truth of that matter is that I don’t blame you. I’ve made so many mistakes over the years. I wish I had it all to do over again, but that’s not an option, is it? The best I can do is try to make up for lost time. Will you give me that opportunity?”

“Della, all I can say is that I’m doing the best that I can. I’m not trying to hurt you. It’s just hard for me, you know?” I answered honestly. “Let’s figure out what’s really going on here, and then we’ll deal with our family issues. Does that sound fair to you?”

“Perfectly. By the way, I’m fine with you just calling me Della. After all, you’re a little old to call me aunt, aren’t you?”

“It just makes things seem a little less complicated,” I said. “There is no disrespect intended by it.”

“You know, you have some of your mother in you,” she said.

“How do you mean?”

“She was never afraid to say exactly what she meant, no matter the consequences. It was one of the things I admired most about her, actually. I miss her.”

“I do, too, and my father as well,” I said. There was no criticism in my statement, and she must have sensed that it had been a benign comment, given that she didn’t react to it.

“I’m sure that you do. If you need anything, I’m in the other room.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said.

“Coming, Annie?” she asked as she turned to my sister, who was still standing right behind her.

“In a minute,” she said. “I want to talk to Pat for a minute first.”

“Very well. Good night, twins.”

We both said our good night simultaneously, something that made Della smile.

“Are you okay out here?” Annie asked as she helped me make up the couch.

“I’ll manage. I hope you enjoy your big comfy bed while I’m out here suffering on this atrocity.”

“You saw that room. It looks as though a bottle of Pepto-Bismol blew up in there. I’ve never seen so much pink in my entire life.”

“Want to trade?” I asked her with a smile.

“No, I have a feeling that the pink won’t bother me nearly so much once my eyes are closed. Do we have a solid plan for the morning?”

“Well, one thing’s for sure. We can’t stay here and babysit our aunt all day. We need to get out amongst the townsfolk and see what we can find out.”

“I spotted a diner on the way into town,” Annie offered. “That might be a good place to start.”

“Why am I not surprised you’d find a grill to check out while we were here?” I asked her with a grin.

“Pat, you know as well as I do that a small-town life revolves around food. We’ve got a better chance of finding out what’s really going on by visiting there than we do camping out on the police chief’s front steps.”

“I can’t argue with you there. Annie, do you believe Della?”

“What, her theories about who might want to see her dead?” my sister asked me softly.

“Not just that, but the fact that it appears that all of the men in town over fifty consider her an object of obsessive desire, at least according to her,” I answered.

“Be nice,” she said as she swatted at me.

“Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.” I stretched out on the couch once we made it up, and to my surprise, though it hadn’t been all that comfortable to sit on, it made a shockingly adequate bed. I wouldn’t trade it for my own spot back home above the Iron, but it would do in a pinch, and as a bonus, I didn’t have to deal with the pink nightmare that Annie faced every time she opened her eyes.

“You’re really trying with her, aren’t you? I’m proud of you, Pat.”

“Thanks. I’m glad you noticed,” I said with a smile.

She patted me on the head, and then she said, “I’ll let you get some sleep. See you in the morning.”

“Not if I see you first,” I said, a childish response that we still used occasionally. We might not be kids anymore, but in certain ways, we’d never really grown up, which suited me just fine.

It was an uneasy sleep, due more to the fact that I was not at home in my own bed than the fact that I was on my aunt’s couch. I seemed to wake up every ten minutes, and I’d just gotten back to sleep sometime around two a.m. when I heard someone scrambling around on the front porch. The cottage was a creaky old beast, and the footsteps outside were hard to hide. I sat up from the couch and looked at the front door just as the handle started to jiggle a little. Had we locked the place up before bed? I’d just assumed that Della had taken care of it, but now I wasn’t so sure. I got up from the couch and made my way to the door, grabbing a lamp along the way after jerking the plug from the wall. It was a testament to my aunt’s love of all things modern, full of gleaming, sharp angles, but I didn’t have any problem with it at the moment, since the base had been fashioned from a large hunk of polished steel. It had a good heft to it, and I wasn’t afraid to use it.

“Who’s there?” I asked loudly as I tried to find the light switch that controlled the porch lights. Instead of finding that one, though, I managed to turn the overhead living room lights on, instantly killing my night vision. After another failed attempt, I found the right switch and flicked it on as I peered outside.

Whoever had been there was now gone.

I was just about to open the front door to investigate further when Annie and Della came into the room.

“What’s going on, Pat?” my sister asked.

“Someone was outside,” I said.

“It was probably just the wind,” my aunt said. “This place makes more noise than a bagful of badgers when a stiff wind is blowing.”

“The doorknob started turning, and I haven’t seen the wind that will do that,” I said. “You both need to stay right here while I check this out.”

“Come on, Pat. We both know that’s not happening,” Annie said as she hurried to join me.

“Both of you need to stay inside right now,” Della commanded. “I’m going to call Cam.”

“I wouldn’t if I were you, but you can go ahead and do what you want to,” I said, ignoring her earlier demand to stay right where I was. I unlocked the door and stepped outside, still carrying the lamp in my free hand. It was freezing, and I instantly regretted not grabbing my coat and shoes first.

“Trying to shed a little light on the situation?” Annie asked as we both realized that whoever had been outside was now long gone.

“It was the closest thing I had to a weapon,” I acknowledged as my teeth began to chatter. “Let’s go back inside. I didn’t just dream that, Annie. Someone really was trying to break in.”

“I never doubted you for a moment. Is break-in the right term? You said they tried the doorknob.”

“Okay, but criminal trespass doesn’t sound nearly as dramatic, does it?”

“Come on, little brother,” she urged me. I was getting colder by the second, and she must have been as well.

I made doubly sure that the door was locked before I joined Annie and Della in the kitchen.

“When will the police chief get here?” I asked her.

“I didn’t think you wanted me to call him,” she said. “Should I phone him now?”

“No, I don’t think it will do us any good now, and it might hurt our credibility if we need him for something else later,” I said. “Thanks for taking my advice.”

“It would be silly not to, given the fact that I brought you both here to help me,” Della said, and then she stifled a yawn. “Is it safe to go back to bed, or should I make another pot of coffee?”

“If I drink any more caffeine tonight, I’ll
never
get back to sleep,” Annie said, and then she turned to me. “Pat, what do you think?”

“I believe the danger is past for tonight,” I said. “Della, do you always lock the front door before you turn in for the night?”

“It’s such a sleepy little town, most nights I forget to do it completely. It’s not just me, though. Most folks leave their doors unlocked around here.”

“I doubt many did after Cheryl Simmons was murdered,” I said. “Do me a favor. From now on, make sure that everything’s locked up tight before you go to bed or even leave the house during the daytime.”

“Should I check the front door now, or did you lock it behind you?”

“I locked it,” I admitted, “but it wouldn’t hurt to get in the habit anyway.”

She did as I asked and checked the door again. Nodding in satisfaction, she turned to me and said, “All secure.”

“How about the back door? Does this place have a basement, and if so, does it have its own access to the outside? Are all of the windows locked, first floor and second as well?” I asked her, peppering the questions at her in rapid fire before she had a chance to respond to the first inquiry.

“I don’t know,” she said hurriedly. Was she about to start crying again? Had I been too tough on her, or was she just being overly sensitive? I couldn’t really blame her if she were. After all, whether it was true or not, Della believed that someone was trying to kill her, and they’d struck down her best friend as well. Why wouldn’t she be a little edgy about the situation?

“No worries. We’ll all check them right now,” Annie suggested before I could. “Why don’t you take the first floor, Aunt Della? I’ll check the upstairs windows, and Pat can have the basement.”

Oh, boy. I wasn’t all that thrilled with the idea of going down there alone, but it needed to be done. I found the light switch at the head of the stairs and made my way down. The basement lacked any charm at all, and it appeared that my aunt had decided to use the area to store anything that didn’t go with her upstairs décor. It looked as though a flea market had exploded down there, and I had to make my way through thin aisles to get to the rear door and the lone window.

They had both been unlocked.

As I latched and locked them tight, I kept feeling eyes peering at me from the clutter inside, and I didn’t quite run up the stairs, but it was close enough to it to count. Once I was on the main floor again, I locked the door leading down there as a secondary precaution.

When I turned around, Annie was standing there grinning at me. “How’d it go?”

“Fine. Everything’s locked up tight now. How about upstairs?”

“We’re all set,” she said. “Della decided to go back to bed, but if you want me to help stand watch, I’ll take a shift.”

“No, I meant what I said. We should be good, at least for tonight,” I said. “If whoever tried to get in stuck around any length of time at all, they’ll know that we’re here, and we’re ready for them.”

“Pat, do you really think it was someone coming for Della? Could she be right about what’s been happening around here lately?”

“It’s looking more and more like it to me,” I admitted. “I’m not sure exactly why it’s happening, but something is definitely going on.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out. Would you like to take the pink bedroom for the rest of the night? I don’t mind sleeping down here.”

Her offer was sweet, but there was no way I was going to put my sister in jeopardy just because I wanted a comfortable place to sleep. “I’m good, but thanks for the offer.” I hesitated a second, and then I asked her, “That offer wasn’t like the flashlight thing before, was it?”